Shoe



June13,1944. QHDANIELS Em.' 2,351,323

SHOE

Filed May 24. 1941 2 Sheets-Shea?l l June 13, 1944 c. H. DANIELS :TAL l 2,351,323

. SHOE F'led May 24. 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 13, 1944 sHoE Claude H. Daniels,vGreenwclnrConn., and Martin P Foyilindicott, N. Y.l

Application Map24, 1941, Serial No.395,100

(C1. eef- 8.5)

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improven'ietntsv in shoes, and more particularly to improvements in insoles for shoes and the association of the improved insoles with a special type of bottom filler.

In ordinary practice the inner surface of the insole' of the shoe is substantially flat. It is believed that some foot troubles such as burning feet and soreness of the jointsl particularly the joint between the first metatarsal and the Abig toe which includes the sesamoid bones, is `the resultv of .the ilat surface. When shoes have been worn overa long period of time and may be said toY be 'well broken in, there is a slight tendency for the vsurface of the insole tov bershaped to the particular foot. This shaping of the insole which is the result of long wearis relatively slight sinoe shoes are made to maintain their shape. It is conventional practice to use a bottom filler between the insole vand outsole but such .bottom filler is not readily yieldable under pressureof the foot. Even if sponge rubber or similar cushioning material is used the insole is not readily compressible under pressure of the foot to shape the surface of the insole and form depressions, cavities or pockets which more comfortably iit the joints forming the principal points of support of the foot in the shoe. Metatarsal buttons have been used, either on top of the insole or beneath the insole, so as to raise the surfaceof the insole between the sides of the foot, but substantially no effort has been made vto accomplish a similarresult by permitting the sides oftl'ie foot to drop and form cavities inthe insole.

It is an object of our invention to specially treat the insole whereby selected areas of the insole may be readily depressed under pressure vof the foot so that tting cavities are formed Ybeneath the normal surface of the insole.

It is specifically an object of our invention to improve the construction of shoesV by cutting slits in the insole which extend Aentirely through .the thickness of the insole to .form areas which will yield and stretch under pressure of the fpotso as to shape the insoleto the individual Yfoot within a Short time. after Wearing thesheesuchsliited areas of the insole preferably beingin'the ball area of the vsole so` as to allow the joint hetween the first `metatarsal and the toe,Y and the joint between the-fth metatarsal andthe toefron, the other side ofthe metatarsal arch, or one of such joints,`to 'form a' supporting pocket or pockets in the surface vof the insole,

According to ourinvention' the slits in the itisole .areifor'med in any 'desired mannerto acconplish the desired result, although preferably the slits are very narrow cuts extending substantially transverselyy of the sole and parallel to each other so thatthe insole within the desired area is cut into narrow strips which will yield and stretch,V

It is a further object of our invention to similarly slit the insole inthe region of the heel seat so as to allow the heelv of the'foot to similarly drop into a cavity.v vA still further object of our invention resides in the'combinatio'n ofthe slitted insole with afbottom ller beneath the sole composed of material which is moldable or compressible to receive and retain an' impression,V

such material dilering 'from ordinary sponge rubberV which willyield under pressure'but springs back to shape after pressure is removed. vIf such moldableI material is placed beneath an ordinary insole it will not so readily'take the impression of the foot las the insole resists depression in any particular areas, but when the insole is slit in accordance with ourinventionV the narrow strips of the insolein the slitted areas are free to yield under pressure of the foot with respect to the body of the insole and tend to form pockets or cavities in the compressible material placed beneath the insole as wellfas in the insole itself.

Further objects and advantages of our improvements will be more readily apparent from the following description of further embodiments thereof as disclosed in the attached drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a plan View of an insole which has been slit in a special manner to accomplish the desiredresult; M y" Fig. 2 is a bottom view of the insole shown in Fig. ,1, the layers of ller and fabric reinforcement being partially broken away to expose the underneath layers; I

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken through the ball portion of a shoe having the improved insole and showing the depressions in the inner surface of the insole which result from wearing the shoe; I

Fig.`4 is a plan view of an insole relatively thinner than in Fig'. 1 and showing a widerspacing of theslits; Y`

Fig."5 is a sectional view taken on the plane indicated' 5-i-'5 in Fig; `1

Fig. l6 isy a transverse vertical section taken on me piane indicated s`s inFvig. 2;

Fig. V"I is a plan `yieyvfof an linsole showing a modified 'arrangement of the slits;

'Fig Sisalbottoni viewv of the insole shown in The n weight of the body at the ball portion of the foot rests upon the shoe near lthe sides of the foot,V

particularly beneath the large joint betweenthe would be Within the scope of our invention in permitting the desired portion of the insole to be pressed into a cavity.

A preferred arrangement of forming the slits or cuts is shown in Fig. l in which the area adjacent the sesamoid bones of the foot is slit from side to side by a number of parallel cuts extending transversely of the sole. The spacing of the cuts may varyin accordance with the thickness and stiffness of the leather whichforms the insole. In a relatively thin or flexible insole the cuts may be wider apart. In a thicker and stiffer insole the cuts should be closer together. The

" slitting or cutting results in forming independfirst metatarsal and the big'toeo'n the inner. 'sidel of the foot and beneath the small joint 'between4v the fth metatarsal and the littletoe, on the.'

outer side of the foot. Many foot troubles are the result of improper support of the foot at thel metatarsal joints. y 'Ihe Vlarge 4jointzbetweenthe rstmetatarsal andthe big toe may become particularly painful since this jointtransmitspressurel through a pair of small sesamoid bones which form the fulcrumr'over which thefweight of the body is transmitted during progression.-

Attempts have been made to better support the foot at the metatarsal by using metatarsal buttons -ofy sponge rubber .placed within lthe shoe along the top surface ofthe insole.

In the present inventionthe shoe is constructed in suchamanneras to permit the points Yof support-ofthe metatarsal to form pocketsor caviently flexible strips of the leather insole which Similar slitting of the insole may be carried out in the area adjacent the joint between ties below the normal level 'surfacenof the insole.

TheV object is tohavethe footmake 2mV 'impres- 1 sion upon the insole and ythegbottom filler, if any, beneath the insole which will"accommodatel the particular foot and result in a comfortable fit of theshces upon thefeet. Itisnot practical to cut holes in the insole since .the holes; might' not be properly positioned'to t a particular foot and because s uch holeswould cause objectionable wear of the stockings. k'Ihe object` o f our invention cannot be obtained by merely thinning the insole ,atV the particular areas since the fibresY of the leather-are so closely bondedy Y together that even a thinned area will not readily stretch to form the desired cavity or pocket.

According toH the novel improvements Ydisclosed herein; the'insole is slit at the desired locations or areas insucha manner that pressureY of the foot during the initial wearing of the shoes will result in pressing the slllortions of the insole downward to vform a` pocketk for ,the joints through which the weight isY transmitted. The slitting ofthe insolemay be carriedout invarious ways but itis desirable rto avoid slitting the insole over too largean area orslittingof" thev insole by cuts which extend longitudinallyof the sole since such slitting will tend to impair the strength of the sole in, retainingv the-shape of vthe lasted shoe. i The insole must prevent spreading ofthe shoe atithe ball. [Ifhe slits orcuts must extend entirely through the thickness .of the insole and if carried out inza Goodyear welt shoe Vin which the bottom kof, the insole is reinforced Y obtained by employing other forms of cuts whiclr the fth metatarsal and little toe on the outer v' side of the foot. Also advantageous results may be obtained by similarly slitting the heel portionl the insole, l Y The slitting of the insole also results in increasing-the flexibility of the shoes although this is merely incidental tothe main object of the imwelt construction, since the pressure of the foot upon the slitted' areas of theiinsole willltend to form cavities in l the bottonil filling material. A still further improvement of` our.V invention', hoW-f ever,r resides in theuse offa special type of bottom llerlsin .combination with the slit insole.

yThe .ordinaryA composition used as a bottom filler is not readilyY moldable under pressure of 'the foot. According to this inventiona bottom filler is-used which is Acomposed of a cellular rubber andco'rk compound produced in sheet form and from which pieces may bedied out to'flll the cavity between the insole and the outsole in the Goodyear welt construction. This composition has theA special quality of beingcapable of receiiving and retaining an impression, that is, although it 'isnot plastic it can be pressed to take an ,impression and 'the'. impressionA will remainV whenfthe pressure is removed. We have found that yvery good results are obtained if such a moldablerubber .an'dcorl{` composition or an 'equivalent' material `is' l employed as the bottom filler in association 4with the slit insole since the impression ofthe foot will be formed 'by onlyr a short periodA ofjw'earingof the shoes.4 .It Vwill be understoodthat althoughlwe prefer to .use the particular material described' which Vis f capable of takingan impression, otherfmaterial such as ordinary spcn'gerubber may be used with advantageous results as compared with ordinary shoes. l'The insoleV generally indicated I0 as shown in Figs. 1` and 2 is illustrated as an .insole .Vfor' a. weltshce, but Vit will be understood that Ou'rimprove'ments are applicable to insoles for any'type.

ofshoe construction; vThe layer of insolematerial |2has thesewing ribs I4 turned up fron'the undersideof the sole. A Afabric reinforcement I Lmaybe applied asl shown -to the underside of the insole withinv theA area surrcundedby the ribsV (4, A bottom lleiyl may berlaid Vin theA forepart of the insole to ll the cavity between the .insole |,2, and the outsole 20 asgshownin Fi'- 43.3 t Avamp 22 is attached in theusual manner to make the finished shoe as shown in Fig. 3.

As shown in Fig. 1, an area adjacent the outside of the ball portion ofthe insole has slits 24 cut entirely through the thickness of the insole layer l2. The `slitsor cuts may preferably be arranged as s hown in Fig. 1 in which a plurality of slits 24 are made extending transversely of the sole and parallelto-each other so as to cut the insole into strips 26 which are` freeto flex and be ldepressed under pressure of the foot. The area defined by thefcuts 24 may belsubstantially elliptical in shape as shown and the cuts or slits may extend from side to side of the area so that each of the strips26`-is supported at its ends by the'body of the'insole butis entirely freev between its ends with respect to adjacent strips 26. The slits 24 are relatively thin, narrow cuts and do not tend to make visible openings through the insole or tend to expand the sole lengthwise.

Furthermore, the slits terminate short of the edge of the insole so that vthestrength of the margin of the insole is preserved.

A similar area may be'slit by the'cuts 28 spaced laterally from-the slits 24 and defining an area on the inside of the-ball portion of the foot. These slits form freely'flexible strips 30 which function in a manner similar to the strips 26. In this embodimentthe center portion of the insole at 32 does not haveany slits or cuts and will therefore not be depressed under pressure of the foot. lInstead duettodropping ofthe sides of the foot the center of .the metatarsal is better supported-by vthe uncut'portlon of the insole.

It may also be advantageous to form slits or cuts 34 in the heel portion of the insole which result in cutting the insole of the heel into the flexible strips 36. These slits 36 terminate inside the margin of the sole in the same manner as the slits 24 and 28.

The layer of reinforcing fabric I6 may or may not be required, but if employed it may be found desirable to extend the slits 24 and 28 through the reinforcing fabricas indicated at 38 and 40 in Fig. 2. If a special fabric which is stretchable lengthwise of the sole is used, it will not be necessary to cut the slits through the fabric.

The conventional type of bottom filler may be employed, but we prefer to employ a bottom filler I8 which is composed of material that is moldable under pressure of the foot whereby in wearing the shoes the area defined by the cuts 24 will be depressed as indicated at 42 in Fig. 3, and the area defined by the cuts 28 will be similarly depressed as indicated at 44 in Fig. 3. It will be noted in this ligure that the bottom filler I8 is depressed beneath the depressions, cavities or pockets 42 and 44 which form in the surface of the insole. The moldable material may also be placed beneath the slits 36 in the heel portion of the insole.

The slits which are cut through the insole may vary in spacing in accordance with the thickness and stiffness of the insole material. If a relatively thin and flexible insole is employed, the slits may be widely spaced as shown in Fig. 4 in which the slits 46 are cut through the insole in an area corresponding to the area defined by the slits 24 in Fig. l. Similarly, the slits 48 may be cut through the insole on the inner side of the ball in an area corresponding to the location of the slits 28 in Fig. 1.

Instead of forming the slits in the spaced areas as shown in Fig. 1, the cuts may extend across the center portion of the insole as shown by the cuts 58 in Fig. 7 formed in the insole 52. The 76 slits or cuts 50 may be extended through the layer of reinforcing fabric 54 as indicated at 56 in Fig. 8. In order to reinforce lthe center portion of the insole, a. fabric tape 58 Vmay be cemented to the under side of the insole over the fabric layer 54 and extending forwardly andrearwardly of the slits 50 and56. The tape 58 will tend to reinforce the center portion of the insole by holding the otherwise severed strips of the insole together vwhile leaving -the strips free' to flex and be depressedon both-sides of the reinforcing tape 58. The insole will therefore function in the same manner as theinsole shown in Fig. 1.

A still further modification is illustrated in-Fig. 9 showing an insole 60 in which an area corresponding tothe areaI defined by the slits 24 in Fig. 1 has been slashed entirely through the thickness of the insole material by the diagonally arranged cuts or Vslits 62. The area on the inside of the ball is similarly provided with diagonal slits 64 while the center portion of the insole is left uncut at 66. It would not be as desirable to form the slits in a longitudinal direction ofthe sole since the insole would be weakened in a side to side direction, but the slitsrmay bel formed other than straight across-the insole as'inFig. 1 such as by making the slits diagonal vas shown in Fig. 9, or some similar arrangement.

Although the yslits have been shown as cut vertically through the insole, it is not our intention to limit the scope ofl ourjinvention tothe slits being formed in that manner as it may be -found desirable to cut the slits at an angle. As shown in Fig. 11 the insole 68 is formed with the slits or cuts 'l0 which extend through the insole material at an angle to the vertical. The slits 10 are preferably cut to slope inwardly and rearwardly of the insole. This manner of forming the slits may be found more desirable in that .the foot does not contact sharp edges of the :strips on flexing of the insole.

.moldable material beneath the insole which will also conform in shape under the foot pressure. Various other modifications may be made in the construction of the insoles from the specific embodiments of the improvements herein disclosed without departing from the spirit of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a boot or shoe, an insole, an outsole and a bottom filler between the soles, said insole having an area positioned to correspond with the joint between the first metatarsal and the toe on the inside of the foot and having a second area spaced therefrom positioned to correspond with the joint between the fifth metatarsal and the toe on the outside of the foot, each of said areas having slits cut entirely through the thickness of the insole material whereby each of said areas is freely depressible under pressure of the foot to form conforming pockets in the surface of the insole for said joints, the bottom filler beneath such areas being composed of compressible material, said insole outside of said areas being solid and unslit whereby the insole resists depression except in the areas defined by the slits.

the rst metatarsal andthe toe Von the inside of' 5 the foot, said areahaving relatively thin slits-cut .entirely through thetbckness of, the insole" and extending from,4 `side to,v side of. said area-,whereby the. insolevmaterial'within said area is formed into aplurality of relatively narrow` strips sup-v ported atY their VV ends by the body of Vsaid insole, said strips being -freelydepressible undern pressure of the .footl independently of the other strips and said insole having a similar elliptical area located to correspond with the position'of the joint` between thenvlifth; metatarsal 1and the toe o n the `outside of the foot, said area havingrelatively thin slits c ut ,entirely through the thick--v ness ofl the insole and extendingwfrom side A'to sidefof said area in the same manner. as in the rst area, 4said insole being ysolid and unslit outfside of said areas, said bottom filler being composed of material which is apable of being compressed under pressure of the foot.

3. In afboot or shoe, an insole, anoutsole and filling *material between the insole -and outsole, said insoleZ being weakened inr a predetermined portion of its areaspaced inside. from the margins of the insole,v said weakened portion ofthe insolebeingl selected tolie beneaththejoint between the rst metatarsal andthe toe attached thereto and being no ,larger than-that required to receive the full, pressureffofV said joint, said weakened portion of the-insole Abeing formed by a plurality ofparallel slits out through the full thickness ofthe insole and extending from side to side'of the weakened area whereby in wearing thepshoe Ithe ypressure of said joint will depress the weakened portion' of-,the insole and formV a cavity, the nlling material lying beneath the weakened portion ofthe insole being composed of materialwhich is capable of being compressed under pressure' thereby allowing the weakened portionof the insole to drop and form the cavityj 4. In a bootjor shoe, an insole, an outsole and lling material between the insole and outsole, said insole being weakenedin a predetermined portion of .its area inwardly-,spaced from the margin of the insole, said `weakened portion 4of the insole being selected .to liebeneath a weight bearing portion of the foot and being no. larger than .that required to receive the full pressure of such portion of the foot, said weakened portion of the insole .being formed by a plurality of parallel slitsr cutthrough the full thickness of the insole and extending from side to side ofthe weakened area, thefilling material lying beneath the weakened portion* of the. insole being composed of material which 'will be compressed to asmallervolume under pressure of the foot there- ,by allowing'v the weakened portion of the insole to drop andforrn a cavity below, thernormal level oftheinsole.v o f i CLAUDE H. DANIELS. i l.MARTIN .P. FOY. 

